With the summer's garden resplendent profusion, it becomes difficult to even contemplate scarcity, and yet for many people their cupboards are not full. Oftentimes we think of food banks as being services for "those" people who are down on their luck, out of work, or just not being a viable part of our workaholic society. This is an incorrect perception. Many working families have to rely on food banks for their survival and sustenance. Additionally, due to the current high cost of food and fuel, our gardens' seasonable cornucopia is not reflected in the larders of our dedicated charities that have been the safety net for deflecting hunger.Along with the price of gas, charitable donations are down. This has created, for many long time services here in the Northwest, an historic funding shortfall. Add to that piece of bad news the volunteers, many of whom have served for many, many years, who can now no longer afford to pay for the gas for their cars. For example, the Meals on Wheels program is suffering and having to cut back on their deliveries. Imagine for a moment that you are isolated, or one could say stranded in your home with no one to talk with during the day. Suddenly the dedicated people, who have become your friends, no longer deliver a hot meal...All of this news is there to reflect upon, but not as we wrap up our summer days. We want more times at the beach, more swims in the crystalline lakes in our mountains, and hopefully another get-away weekend filled with laughter and great food - think lusciously ripe blackberries with the juice staining our lips, hands, and T-shirts. We want the long Labor Day weekend to be our perfect end of summer (and please can it go on forever - please ...) holiday.Yes, we can do it all.For those of us who would never ever, ever leave town and tangle with the long weekend's nightmare of traffic - we can attend the Second Annual Blues for Food Fest 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 30, at Magnuson Park. This event supports the P-Patch Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to working with programs to prevent hunger by distributing food to those in need - and of course continuing their support for all the P-Patch Community Gardens.There will be five local 'kick your shoes off' Seattle bands, a children's garden featuring the new Grey mosaic Whale, food, food, food from local garmers market favorites Green Go Foods (organic grass-fed beef hamburgers and savory polenta cakes - oh yum!), a homemade pie auction (pies made and donated by the dedicated P-Patch gardeners) and Solid Ground/Lettuce Link programs that will be manning a booth to accept your generous donation from your garden's 'resplendent profusion.'What an interesting alternative to Seattle's Labor Day traditional and now crowded music-filled festival at Seattle Center. The Blues for Food Festival is only one day in the long weekend. The idea is the same - summer music - but what a grand feeling to support the need for food while luxuriating in and participating in the end of summer. Tickets and all the other important information can be found at myspace.com/bluesforfoodfest. I truly hope that I will be dancing with many of my readers and other dedicated and thoughtful souls this Labor Day weekend on Saturday at Magnuson Park. Mark your calendars now.[[In-content Ad]]
